Officers discovered "a large amount of inventory of electronic goods and computers" had been stolen, Romick said.

Thieves also broke into the Biltmore Avenue store on March 17 and stole about $70,000 in Apple products. A CityMac branch at Biltmore Park Town Square was hit a week later, on March 25. Computers worth at least $30,000 were stolen in that incident.

As was the case in the first two break-ins, video surveillance from Wednesday's crime showed three masked and hooded suspects using a sledgehammer to smash through the front door. The men took Apple laptops and iPads, carrying off the equipment in large plastic tubs they brought in with them. The suspects were in and out of the store very quickly in the well-orchestrated crime.

"I'm just speechless," CityMac owner Jim Neu said. "I don't think they realize how hard it is to make an honest living."

He said he was still trying to determine the value of the items lost, but noted it was substantial. The shop was open Wednesday but with limited inventory.

Neu said he had installed reinforced glass and doors since the earlier robberies, which slowed down the intruders but didn't keep them out.

"I don't know what to do now," Neu said. "You don't go into this thinking you're going to get robbed all the time."

Similar crime sprees targeting Apple stores have been noted before. More than a dozen Apple store robberies in states from Connecticut to Virginia in 2011 drew the attention of the FBI. The crimes highlighted the growing value of iPhones, iPads and MacBook computers that are tantalizingly displayed like jewelry.

Anyone with information about the Asheville cases should call Crime Stoppers at 255-5050.